Atmospheric gas analyser · UK public procurement notice

SUMMARY

The University of Edinburgh Field Spectroscopy Facility requires a sensor system/analyser with the capability to measure N2O (nitrous oxide), CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CH4 (methane) concentrations at altitude/height simultaneously and in real time, at a detection limit in the <1 ppb for methane, <0.5 ppb for N2O and < 200 ppb for CO2. The concentrations are required for flux measurements, and therefore the temporal frequency of measurements is important, measurement frequency needs to be no less than 1 Hz, ideally at 5 Hz.

PAYLOAD WEIGHT AND INTERFACE

To enable use of the facility’s existing UAV equipment the sensor must be able to interface with a DJI M400 drone, and the total sensor weight must be under 7kg.

MEASUREMENT APPROACH

Measurements of these gasses must be made simultaneously, to a synchronised timing and measurement frequency, and the measurement at a given timestamp should be taken from the same shared volume of air. This should produce a single combined data series.

To give an example of the intention;

At timestamp 1, a volume of air, V1, has been ‘ingested’, and will be tested by the analyser to give measurements of N2O(t=1), CO2 (t=1) and CH4(t=1).

At timestamp 2, (1 second in the future, if operating at 1 Hz), a new volume of air V2 is ingested and analysed to give measurements of N2O(t=2), CO2 (t=2) and CH4(t=2).

And so on, at the ‘Hz’ rating the device operates at.

Measurement must be conducted in-situ/in-flight at real time while the UAV operates; storing volumes of air for after-operation analysis would not be suitable.

CONCLUSION

After a market evaluation it is believed there is only one solution which can fulfil the combined requirements – the Aeris Sensors MIRA Strato. As such we intend to award via the Negotiated Procedure Without Prior Call for Competition, to their sole EU distributor, on the basis competition is absent for technical reasons.

Any suppliers who wish to query or challenge this notice should do so within 10 calendar days of its publication.

Value represents cost excluding VAT and import duties (if applicable).